4 Drinks That Help Lower Your Blood Sugar Naturally

From health.com

AT A GLANCE

• Drinking plenty of water helps keep your blood sugar low.
• Green tea contains catechins that may improve insulin sensitivity.
• Sugary drinks and alcohol can raise your blood sugar.

Drinks to lower blood sugar include water, green tea, and milk. These beverages can naturally help maintain healthy glucose levels.

1. Water

Drinking an adequate amount of water daily has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels, lubricate your joints, and benefit your overall health. The recommended amount of water to drink daily varies depending on your sex, weight, and age. Researchers generally recommend that adults drink between 67-125 ounces (oz), or 2-3.7 litres (L) of water daily.

Water (especially mineral water) is more beneficial for your blood sugar than sodas and fruit juices. However, more research is needed to determine how much drinking water affects blood sugar levels in people with and without diabetes.

Although rare, drinking an excessive amount of water can cause water toxicity. Symptoms of water toxicity include nausea, vomiting, and confusion.

2. Green Tea

                                                                        Ekaterina Goncharova / Getty Images

Although some studies show green tea helps with blood sugar control, more research is needed to determine whether it influences blood sugar.

Green tea contains catechins—plant compounds that may help improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood.

Catechins can be an effective complementary method for blood sugar management. However, complementary methods are not replacements for a treatment regimen prescribed by your healthcare provider. Research on how green tea affects people with diabetes is limited, and more research is needed to understand its possible effects.

Green tea contains some amount of caffeine. It is recommended to keep your caffeine intake to under 400 milligrams (mg) per day. Drinking up to eight cups of green tea daily is generally safe. But if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, limit green tea to no more than six cups daily.

3. Tomato Juice

Studies have found that lycopene, an organic compound in tomatoes, can help lower blood sugar levels. Lycopene is a carotenoid (plant pigment) that also promotes antioxidant activity. Antioxidants help prevent diabetic complications and insulin resistance. Drinking tomato juice with no sugar added may help you maintain your blood sugar.

Inoue T, Yoshida K, Sasaki E, Aizawa K, Kamioka H. Effect of lycopene intake on the fasting blood glucose level: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2022;15(1):122. doi:10.3390/nu15010122

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), adult women should consume 2-3 cups of vegetables daily, and adult men should consume 3-4 cups. Around 2-3 cups of tomato juice can satisfy the recommended vegetable intake.

4. Black Tea

Like tomato juice, the antioxidants in black tea may help lower your risk of diabetes by regulating your blood sugar and preventing inflammation. One study found that drinking more than 1 cup of black tea daily can help lower your risk of diabetes by 14%.

In another study, researchers found that theaflavins (antioxidant plant compounds in black tea) reduced the effect of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can lead to cell damage. Over time, this can increase your risk of developing chronic health conditions—including diabetes.

Although several studies support the claim that compounds in black tea lower blood sugar levels, more research is needed.

Other Ways To Lower Blood Sugar

Besides drinking beverages such as water and green tea, there are lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood sugar at home. These include the following:

• Get regular physical activity: Studies show that regular physical activity improves blood sugar regulation in people with type 2 diabetes. Healthcare providers recommend getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily.
• Eat whole foods: Consume a balanced diet of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and dairy to help manage and lower blood sugar levels.
• Take vitamin D: If you have diabetes, vitamin D supplements can help lower fasting blood glucose levels. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 15 micrograms (mcg) for adults 19-50 years old. For adults over the age of 70, 20 mcg is recommended.
• Manage your stress levels: Stress can cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate. You can manage stress by engaging in relaxing activities like meditation.
• Limit sugary drinks and foods: Limit your consumption of foods and drinks with high amounts of sugar, such as cookies, cereals, and sodas. Added sugars can spike blood sugar and increase your risk of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes.
• Reduce your alcohol intake: Any alcohol affects blood sugar levels. Not drinking more than one drink per day can help keep your blood sugar from rapidly rising.
  

When To See a Healthcare Provider

Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, headache, and fatigue. If you suspect you are experiencing high blood sugar symptoms, consult a healthcare provider or endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in health conditions affecting your hormones).

High blood sugar is commonly associated with diabetes. In the United States, Asian Americans, people of Hispanic descent, African descent, and Indigenous people are more likely to develop type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

If you are concerned about your diabetes risk, your healthcare provider can discuss your individual risk factors with you. Together, you can develop a plan to monitor your health and address early symptoms you may experience.

https://www.health.com/drinks-that-help-lower-blood-sugar-11953577

What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Eat Ice Cream

From eatingwell.com

Ice cream can fit into a healthy diet if you have diabetes. Here are some things to consider before grabbing a scoop

KEY POINTS

• Ice cream can fit into a diabetes-friendly diet with moderation and mindful portion sizes.
• Choose ice creams with ≤30 g carbs, <13 g added sugar and ≤2 g saturated fat per serving.
• Pair ice cream with protein to help slow digestion and minimize blood sugar spikes.

From French vanilla to mint chocolate chip, ice cream is many people’s favourite sweet treat regardless of the season. But if you have diabetes, you may wonder if you should avoid it. People with diabetes are advised to limit sweets like ice cream to help keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range. But cutting out all sweets usually isn’t feasible—or necessary.

More than 40 million Americans live with diabetes, and nearly 115 million more have prediabetes. While people with diabetes need to be aware of their sugar and carbohydrate intake, desserts like ice cream aren’t totally off the table.  In this article, we’ll explain how ice cream affects blood sugar levels, provide tips for choosing diabetes-friendly options and share dietitian-approved strategies for including it in a balanced diet. Let’s dig in! 

Can You Eat Ice Cream If You Have Diabetes?

The good news is ice cream can fit into a diabetes-friendly eating plan, especially when combined with a balanced diet and other healthy lifestyle habits. Individuals with diabetes should focus on eating whole foods that contain complex carbohydrates, like beans, vegetables and whole grains.

That said, foods with added sugars, like ice cream, can still be enjoyed in moderation. You’ll just want to be aware of factors like portion size, sugar content and meal timing. “Ice cream can certainly be included in a healthy diet, including for someone with diabetes, by practicing good portion control and making smart choices on the type of ice cream you consume,” says Josten Fish, RD.

Ice Cream and Blood Sugar Levels

Ice cream contains simple carbohydrates that the body breaks down into glucose (aka sugar). Insulin is a hormone that helps move this sugar out of the bloodstream and into your cells for energy. However, in type 2 diabetes, the body becomes “resistant” to insulin’s effects, making it harder to transport this sugar into your cells and causing your blood sugar levels to spike.

This rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels can leave you feeling tired, thirsty or stressed, and over time, frequent blood sugar spikes can lead to more serious health issues like kidney or heart disease.

What to Look For When Choosing the Best Ice Cream

• Lower amounts of carbohydrate and added sugar. When possible, look for options containing no more than 30 grams of carbohydrate and less than 13 grams of added sugar per serving. To reduce sugar content, many brands use alternative sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit or erythritol, which don’t spike blood sugar the same way traditional sugar does. According to one review, these alternative sweeteners can be beneficial in preventing and treating metabolic conditions like diabetes. Just keep in mind that consuming large amounts of artificial sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols, may lead to digestive side effects, like gas or bloating, depending on the person. 
• Calorie amounts that fit your needs. Maintaining a healthy weight is key to managing diabetes, so it’s important to be mindful of how many calories you’re consuming. While calorie needs vary by person, a good rule of thumb is to choose an ice cream with 250 calories or less per serving. 
• Nutritious mix-ins. In addition to a nice crunch, mix-ins like nuts and seeds provide a boost of protein, fibre and healthy fats, which can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.

What to Limit in Your Ice Cream

When selecting a pint at the store, be wary of flavours with sugary mix-ins, such as caramel, hot fudge or marshmallows, as these ingredients tend to be higher in added sugar. That said, if salted caramel is your favourite, simply enjoy a smaller serving or look for a brand with a lower-sugar version. 

It’s also a good idea to limit your intake of ice creams that contain more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving. Research shows that this type of fat can harm your heart health and negatively affect insulin sensitivity.

How to Include Ice Cream in a Diabetes-Friendly Diet

If you have diabetes, maintaining a balanced diet is most important when it comes to maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Here are four dietitian-approved strategies for incorporating ice cream into a diabetes-friendly diet. 

• Pair your ice cream with protein: “It would be best for someone with diabetes to consume ice cream along with a good source of protein,” says Fish.  Though ice cream contains some protein, increasing its protein content can slow digestion and sugar absorption. So the next time you’re craving a scoop, try to enjoy it alongside, or just after, a high-protein meal or snack. 
• Enjoy a single serving: One serving of ice cream is typically ½ cup (about the size of a tennis ball). If you’re enjoying dessert at home, scoop a serving of ice cream into a bowl instead of trying to make yourself stop partway through the pint. Going out for ice cream can be a bit trickier, as scoop sizes can vary. That said, ordering one scoop, and skipping sugary toppings, is your best bet.
• Consider eating fewer carbs at dinner: “When eating it as part of a meal, be sure to factor in the carbohydrate content of the ice cream to keep your total meal count at your recommended level,” says Fish. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean you should skip dinner to save room for ice cream. Instead, if you plan on having a sweet treat after your meal, simply consider an entree that’s lower in carbs than what you might typically eat. 
• Make homemade ice cream: If you enjoy making foods from scratch, Fish recommends whipping up a batch of ice cream at home. Making homemade ice cream gives you more control over the types and amounts of ingredients used. Plus, there are many healthy recipes that you can make without investing in an ice cream machine. 

• Our Expert Take

  Ice cream can be included in a healthy meal pattern even if you have diabetes. After all, a healthy eating pattern should also be an enjoyable one. “Cutting out all desserts (including ice cream) could lead to actually craving more desserts and possibly bingeing,” says Fish. 

  The next time you feel like grabbing a pint of ice cream from the freezer, simply be mindful of the nutrition content, pay attention to portion sizes and pair it with a meal or a protein-rich snack. Of course, maintaining an overall balanced diet and following other recommendations from your doctor, like getting enough exercise and sleep, are also important for better blood sugar control. 

• https://www.eatingwell.com/can-people-with-diabetes-eat-ice-cream-11945979

Cheating on Your Diabetes Diet: How to Splurge Safely

From everydayhealth.com

Following a diabetes-friendly eating plan can feel overwhelming, particularly when you’re first diagnosed. But whether you’re tweaking the way you eat for a couple weeks or you've been on a plan for 20 years, it's natural to crave foods you’re not supposed to be having. A diabetes diagnosis doesn’t mean you must forever cut yourself off from all restaurant meals, your favorite snacks, or the occasional dessert. 

“People with diabetes don’t need to avoid their favorite foods,” says Grace DeRocha, RD, CDCES, who is based in Detroit. “Focus on being more intentional with your food choices, not restricted.”

Instead of labeling splurge meals and snacks as cheating, DeRocha says to flip the script: Focus on how to make fun foods fit into your plan in a balanced, positive way. Here’s how to get started.

What Happens When You Splurge

                                                                                                                               Adobe Stock

Foods that have historically been considered splurges tend to be higher in carbohydrates and fat, such as pizza, desserts, burgers and fries, and snacks like potato chips. 

“When someone with diabetes eats a large meal that’s high in carbohydrates, blood sugar levels typically rise as those carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream,” says Amy Kimberlain, RDN, CDCES, founder of Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen in Miami. 

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or can’t use it efficiently, allowing blood sugar to rise higher or stay elevated longer, Kimberlain explains. This can mean that you stay out of the blood sugar range recommended by your physician.

These very high blood sugar levels can have unwelcome effects on both your short- and long-term health. If you feel lethargic or mentally slower after a big meal, it’s not just the amount of food in your belly: Symptoms like brain fog and food coma may be a result of your glucose levels skyrocketing. Wild glucose swings may also have an especially bad effect on your long-term diabetes health and management, leading to chronic inflammation and blood vessel damage.

“This is why portion size, meal composition, and timing — along with medications or insulin when prescribed — all play a role in helping manage blood sugar after meals,” Kimberlain says. The following strategies can help you do just that.

Pair Carbs With Protein and Fibre

If you’re thinking about having a carb-heavy meal or snack, DeRocha recommends pairing higher carb foods with foods that also contain protein or fiber. So if you want a slice of pizza, eat it with a side salad instead of garlic knots. For pasta, cook a whole-grain variety with lean protein (such as chicken or shrimp) and fiber-filled veggies. Even eating dessert after a balanced meal is more blood-sugar friendly than eating it on an empty stomach.

“Fiber and protein slow down the digestive process,” says DeRocha, which can help lessen a blood sugar spike and help keep you within a normal blood sugar range. Plus, this strategy can mean you’re adding more food to a higher carb meal — rather than taking away from it — which can be a positive mental shift, she says. 

Pay Attention to Portion Sizes

Smaller portions of any food — including more indulgent ones — contain fewer carbohydrates, which helps lower its impact on your blood sugar, says Kimberlain. Keep carbs in check by ordering a kid-sized ice cream cone, boxing up half your pasta entreé to take home, or ordering a side of pancakes with a veggie-filled omelet rather than a full stack. 

Kimberlain also recommends looking at carbohydrate portions across an entire meal. For example, if you’re craving dessert, skip the bread you may normally serve with a piece of lean protein and a side of vegetables. 

Consider Cheat Meal Timing

It’s not just what you eat — when you consume guilty-pleasure foods has a big impact on your blood sugar levels, too. 

“Some people find it helpful to enjoy these types of meals earlier in the day when they’re more likely to be active afterward,” says Kimberlain. 

If you’re heading to an office party where you know you’ll indulge in the spread, consider building a 10- to 15-minute walk into your schedule afterward. 

“Walking after eating has been shown in multiple studies to slow postmeal blood sugar,” says DeRocha. Physical activity triggers muscles to use up some of the glucose in your bloodstream, helping to reduce a blood sugar spike.

Check Your Blood Sugar Levels

It’s important to check your blood sugar levels regularly no matter what you’re eating, particularly if you have type 1 diabetes, since insulin needs can change quickly based on food, activity, and other factors. A continuous glucose monitor can track blood sugar levels 24 hours a day via a small sensor inserted under the skin that transmits real-time data to a smartphone or wearable device.

Even if you don’t wear a monitor, your doctor may recommend a schedule for checking your blood sugar. A regular schedule might include checking when you wake up, before a meal, two hours after a meal, and at bedtime.

Staying in tune to how your body reacts to food can help you figure out how and when to enjoy indulgent foods in the way that works best for you, says Kimberlain. 

“Keep in mind that what works for you might not work for someone else,” she says. “Nutrition in diabetes management is so individualized.”

Don’t Let One Splurge Ruin Your Diet

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you go off your plan with a snack or meal. However you define a cheat meal, higher-carb food choices don’t need to automatically come with guilt or shame.

“I often remind people that diabetes management isn’t about perfection — it’s about patterns over time,” says Kimberlain. “Everyone has meals that are a little more indulgent or don’t go exactly as planned, and those moments don’t mean you’ve failed or ruined anything.” 

Embrace your failures and low points: The splurges you couldn’t resist can help inform your future habits. “I encourage people to approach those situations with curiosity,” says Kimberlain, who recommends asking yourself the following questions the next time this comes up:

• What did I enjoy? 
• How did my blood sugar respond? 
• Is there anything I’d do differently next time? 

Kimberlain notes that learning from your own behavioral patterns makes healthy eating more sustainable. By prioritizing realism over restriction, you're more likely to achieve long-term success.

Be Cautious With Insulin

If you’ve been prescribed rapid mealtime insulin, it makes cheat meals a bit more complicated. Using insulin before every meal shouldn’t eliminate your flexibility, but it does mean you’ll want to think ahead. Higher-carb meals often require more precise timing and dosing, leaving less room for error when it comes to keeping blood sugar levels steady.

Kimberlain says that people who take insulin should always follow the dietary plan recommended by your doctor. The more carbs you eat at any one meal, the more insulin you’ll need to take, which only increases the risk of low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). It’s easy to give yourself too much insulin or too little, or even to give yourself the right amount but get the timing wrong.

If you take mealtime insulin, DeRocha recommends counting your carbohydrates as accurately as possible, talking to your doctor about your insulin-to-carb ratio for accurate dosing, and taking fast-acting insulin 15 minutes before your meal (so it can start working in a timely manner).

You should also be especially careful of other factors that can affect your sensitivity to insulin in the hours before and after your meal, such as alcohol, sleep patterns, and exercise.

The Takeaway

• It’s natural to want to splurge and eat carb-heavy and fatty foods from time to time. If you’re living with diabetes, moderation may be the best strategy and may even help with long-term dietary success, since it prioritizes realism over restriction. 
• Rich high-carb foods like pizza, burgers, fries, and desserts can cause significant blood sugar spikes and physical lethargy, and they also contribute to your long-term health risks.
• To splurge safely, pair carbohydrates with protein or fiber to slow digestion, choose smaller portions, and exercise after eating to help your body more efficiently process glucose.
• People who use mealtime insulin should plan their splurges ahead so they’re able to monitor and manage their blood sugar levels after the meal.
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• https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/cheating-on-diabetes-diet-how-to-splurge-safely/

Exercise and Diabetes: Benefits, Risks, and What Patients Should Know

From news.cuanschutz.edu

Researcher offers insights on the related advantages, barriers and risks

Roughly one in eight Americans has type 2 diabetes – totalling over 40 million individuals, with an additional two million Americans with type 1 diabetes. In addition to the lifestyle and health impacts, the condition carries a heavy financial burden of a 2.5 times higher cost of living compared to someone without diabetes.

One step can vastly improve – and even prevent – negative diabetes outcomes and costs: exercise.

Salwa Zahalka, MD, assistant professor of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and her colleagues recently contributed to a review that examined the role of exercise in diabetes.

In the following Q&A, Zahalka details how exercise reduces the chances of getting type 2 diabetes and helps patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes with their overall health. She also talks about the barriers to exercise and any risks to be aware of when starting a routine.

Can exercise prevent type 2 diabetes?

Exercise is a great tool for preventing type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that even small changes in peoples’ physical activity levels can lead to decreased rates of type 2 diabetes, so every movement matters.

In a study of the Diabetes Prevention Program – a Center for Disease Control and Prevention lifestyle change program that enrols people who are at high risk of developing diabetes – participants who achieved 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week had a 44% reduction in diabetes development.

What is one main obstacle to exercise for both patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes? How can those obstacles be overcome?

One major obstacle to exercise can be exercise-induced hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar. This is a common challenge for people with type 1 diabetes and for people with type 2 diabetes who are on certain glucose-lowering medications such as insulin. Different exercises can affect blood sugars differently, and these effects are not only experienced for the duration of the activity or what we call the “bout” of exercise, but also for up to 48 hours afterward in what we call the “post-bout” period.

One area of interest in exercise and diabetes research is to evaluate whether the specific order of performing exercises – such as resistance exercise followed by aerobic exercise – can help decrease low blood sugars. It is important that people living with diabetes discuss their exercise regimens with their diabetes providers as we have many individualized strategies to help prevent these low blood sugars and support each person’s exercise journey.

What are the benefits?

Many benefits are associated with regular exercise for people living with diabetes or who are at risk for diabetes. Some of these benefits are a reduction in blood pressure, an improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose levels, prevention and minimization of weight gain, improvement in cholesterol levels and a reduction in rates of death from cardiovascular disease. This last benefit is particularly important because people with diabetes have a higher risk of bad outcomes from cardiovascular disease. We know that if we help people to improve their cardiorespiratory fitness (ability to exercise) we can decrease mortality.  

Are there any dangers around exercise for those with diabetes?

Consistent exercise is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular risk. However, sudden exercise can be a cardiovascular stressor and, in susceptible individuals, may be associated with cardiovascular events. If someone with diabetes is just starting out on their exercise journey, it may be a safer and more effective strategy to start with being consistent with a low-intensity exercise and work up to higher intensity rather than being more sporadic with a high-intensity exercise.

Additionally, people with diabetes can have decreased sensation and blood flow to their feet, which puts them at higher risk for trauma to their feet from weight-bearing exercises. These are both important reasons for people with diabetes to discuss exercise programs with their providers so that they can assess their individual risks and help safely support their exercise.

What types of exercise – and their frequency – have been shown to be beneficial?

Both aerobic (running, jogging, brisk walking, swimming, cycling) and resistance (weights, resistance bands, body weight exercises) exercise regimens have been shown to help prevent type 2 diabetes and improve outcomes in people with diabetes.

An optimal modality and frequency of exercise have not been established, but the American Diabetes Association recommends that most adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and two to three sessions of resistance exercise per week.

The intensity of an aerobic activity can be defined by the amount of oxygen used by the body during that activity. One metabolic equivalent (MET) is the amount of oxygen (O2) used while at rest/sitting still, which is 3.5 millilitres O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute. Physical activities that burn 3.0 to 5.9 METs are considered moderate intensity, and those that burn 6.0 METs or more are considered vigorous intensity.

Brisk walking usually falls into the moderate-intensity MET category and running falls into the vigorous category.

What are “non-responders” and how can they still use exercise to help their health?

The term “non-responders” is used to describe people who do not get certain anticipated benefits of exercise, such as improved glucose or blood pressure. However, the good news is that even if a specific benefit isn’t achieved from exercise therapy, other benefits are often attained. For example, if someone’s blood sugars are unchanged by exercise, they may gain increased cardiorespiratory fitness. Sometimes, the lack of “response” may also be due to the type of exercise (aerobic vs. resistance) or the timing of exercise, and that is why to achieve someone’s desired benefits from exercise an individualized approach is key.  

What is GLUT4 and how does it translate into exercise being a positive step for diabetes?

GLUT4, a glucose transporter that insulin stimulates to bring glucose inside the cell, is also stimulated by muscle contraction during exercise without insulin. This increases transport of glucose into muscle cells and is one way that exercise can acutely decrease blood sugar levels even when someone has insulin resistance or does not produce insulin. 

What is some ongoing clinical research underway on campus on this topic?

My colleagues Drs. Jane Reusch and Judy Regensteiner are conducting an NIH study to understand how exercise training improves cardiac and skeletal muscle function in adults with and without type 2 diabetes. They are currently seeking volunteers who are not exercising and not on certain types of diabetes medications, such as SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists. In this study, people can learn a lot about the function of their heart, skeletal muscle and blood vessels and receive an individualized exercise program.  

https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/how-does-exercise-help-with-diabetes